Clergy of all denominations in Coweta County have been invited to share in a special Interfaith Evening Prayer Service at Saint Mary Magdalene Catholic Church Tuesday, March 20 at 7 p.m. to celebrate the new sanctuary of the Newnan Catholic parish.

The service is being co-hosted by Father Dan Fleming, pastor of Saint Mary Magdalene’s, and Pastor John Hagen of Cokes Chapel United Methodist Church, next door neighbors of the young Catholic community.

All are encouraged to attend the Interfaith gathering as over 100 county pastors and their pastoral staff are welcomed to the new church. The service is open to the public. Local churches, their pastoral staffs and congregations are especially urged to attend and sign in at the welcome desk.

The Interfaith Service concludes an octave plus of special celebrations held to mark the dedication of Saint Mary Magdalene on Feb. 7. A reception will be held in the church hall following the interfaith service.

Saint Mary Magdalene began as a small mission of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Peachtree City, celebrating its first Mass at Thomas Crossroads Elementary school. Overcrowding then moved the congregation to Cokes Chapel.

A growing congregation then necessitated another move to East Coweta High School where weekend Masses have been celebrated for several years.

Many special liturgies and events were celebrated in the parish’s unique tin barn, formerly located on the 40-acre site off Lower Fayetteville Road. When the barn gave way to the construction plows, a huge white tent was purchased and set up near the parish rectory. That became the site of many special Masses and parish gatherings.

When the parish moved from one driveway to another off Ga. Highway 154 and Ebenezer Road, the postal route changed and it became a Newnan parish instead of a Sharpsburg parish. The church is now accessed off Ebenezer Road, immediately past the Coweta fire station. The massive site will also be home to the new county library, a senior center, a police precinct, walking trails and two lakes.

For more information on the interfaith service, area clergy and interested citizens are asked to call Patti Cosby, 770-233-1888.

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